Just watched the 1997 WC final. Peter Rasmussen is sooooo fast (Especially in game 1)! Sun Jun really is unable to deal with that speed. The only one I can think of with matching speed is Lin Dan a few years ago. Could anyone tell me what happened to PR afterwards? Seems he suddenly peaked and then vanished or something. btw, after watching the game, I am confused by many people's claim that Sun Jun should have won. Yes, Sun's cramp is bad luck, however part of the reason why that happened is that PR is too fast and as a consequence Sun kept overworking his legs. Also, if PR is a bit more lucky, he would have finished the battle 2:0 before Sun Jun got the cramp.
Peter Rasmussen disappeared off the radar after 2002 I think. He played in the 99 World Cup in Copenhagen and lost in the SF to countryman Peter Gade. He got injured sometime after that and made a comeback, I think he lost to Peter Gade again in 2002 at the US open in California in the Finals and lost to Lin Dan at the Thomas Cup. He got injured once again after that, tried to make a comeback in 2004, lost to some Korean player in the Finals of the US again and didn't play too much after that. He announced his retirement in 2005 in Feb or something. but yes PR is very fast and his net shots rock!
It's been said before and I'll say it again: whoever says badminton is a "sissy" sport, should watch that epic of a match between Peter Rasmussen and Sun Jun. And keep in mind that badminton is one of only very few sports in which a cramp is not considered an injury and, therefore, not eligible for a timeout. In tennis, soccer, baseball, basketball, etc., you can take an injury timeout to treat a cramp. In badminton that just means you're not fit enough to play the sport. How tough is that?
He played in the 2004 Thomas Cup and gave the point of victory for Denmark in the semis, when he beat Simon Santoso in straight games... Definately a big champion, and unlike Peter Gade, he had the ability of performing great under pressure!
I was unaware of his knee injuries but heard about ankle problems. He had to get surgery. PR use to train with the Danish National weight lifting team which helps to explain his great speed.
Yes... he beat Simon at the final game which determines the ticket to final. It was so great at that moment when all Danish players ran to the court and swinging him up.
Yes, that was quite memorable, also during the 97 WC, when he won, it was just so great, I couldn't help smiling also.
Interview Just wanted to share a 20 minute interview with Peter I found http://www.badmintonsite.com/VideoClips/PlayVideo.aspx?ID=158 The interview is in English. He mostly talks about his great career and a bit about his current plans.
i agree, the umpire shoulda stop the game and award peter the match. Often, many posters here judge player's greatness by their fancy stroke skills and don't give much credit to the player's less glamorous skills like mental toughness and good old fitness. I know many players can beat lin dan if only they get a 5 minutes massage, oxygen therapy, and water break after every rally point. Peter TKO'ed sun jun but the count didnt stop at 10. Sun jun's nic was the monkey, a scrapper player. To make a monkey to have cramps, peter won just on this basis alone.
